Views of Barbados

Yesterday we were in Bridgetown Barbados. We didn't have an excursion planned so we stayed on the ship. I spent a little time in the thermal suites while Angie caught up on some work. Then it was time for my Elemis Men's Spa Facial!! First time having one. There were all kinds of lotions, potions, scrubs and masks! Plus a neck/shoulder and foot massage. Pretty good deal for $149 plus gratuity.  

I then met up with Angie and we had a late breakfast (more like a snack) and then a pot of tea at Cafe Al Bacio. Six nights into the cruise and it was our first time visiting. Each cruise can be so different. On the Solstice and Silhouette we visited here almost daily for some tea.  

We both wanted to take a look at the port so we went into the thermal suite which has a large forward facing open deck. From the relaxation room, you can stare right into the most expensive suite on the ship. The Iconic Suite can go for $20k/person for a seven night sailing. It has a huge open space including loungers and a hot tub. Not much shade. And I guess you don't pay for privacy. Our ship was parked a bit further away from Bridgetown than prior sailings. They were running shuttles from the pier to the downtown area. 

As we headed back out to exit the spa, two therapists were providing massage "teasers" - short neck and shoulder massages. Really wonderful!! Since this was a port day, they had some spa specials. Angie decided to get a massage and mini-facial. I went for some lunch in the buffet. It was a Caribbean themed lunch. I had a piece of jerk chicken, Festival, tamarind rice and a slice of jerk chicken pizza. All very good. Followed by a chocolate soft serve. 

One activity Angie wanted to do was to watch Top Gun Maverick on the outside screen at the Rooftop Garden. 

 While she was finishing her massage, I found a couple of shady spots where we could see the screen. I have never seen the original movie. Just like Pretty Woman. Just like Summer Magic. Haven't seen those either. It was a very good movie. Angie enjoyed many of the call backs to the prior movie, including many scenes where the director used the same shot and/or cinematography.  

We then had a cocktail at the nearby Sunset Bar as we watched sailaway. We then headed back to the cabin to get ready for dinner. And we were welcomed by a rainbow off in the distance.  

For dinner starters I had a shrimp cocktail, boursin cheese in filo. Angie had a green salad. Our waiter Mantra asked if we liked octopus and of course the answer was "yes". He then brought over a braised and grilled octopus dish. 

 It wasn't on our menu but was on one of the main dining room menus. The octopus was so tender and savory. And the lemon aioli was perfect!! For my main I had the roasted pork tenderloin and Angie had the crab risotto. 

 Both really excellent. I was nervous about the pork being dry but it was cooked medium. It came with the creamiest cheddar polenta I have ever had. So tasty. And the fried shallots have the dish some needed "crunch". The food at Blu has really exceeded my expectations.

After dinner we spent some time with our bartender friends Roy, I Made and Agus. We then headed to The Club for the Majority Rules game show. This is kind of like team Family Feud. They ask a question and each team tries to submit an answer that will be the most popular. It has nothing to do with being "correct" - or even politically correct. If your team submitted the most popular answer you get a point. Otherwise no points. It is really less about who wins and more about the funny answers people will submit since the Cruise Director reads the ones he thinks are interesting.  

We then headed to the theater show where a soloist named Chastity Lockhart was the main act supported by the Celebrity orchestra. She sang a lot of Aretha Franklin songs and was very talented. It was then time to head back to the cabin.  

Today we will dock in St John's Antigua. We have an excursion at 11AM. We'll be on a catamaran, have some time for swimming and then have a grilled lobster lunch.

View of St Maarten

 

Yesterday we were in St Maarten. After mulling our options, we decided to stay on the ship and curate our own sea day. We started with breakfast in the Blu restaurant. I had eggs Benedict and Angie had a meat and cheese platter. The meats and cheeses were tasty. The Canadian bacon they used with the Benedict was extremely salty and the English muffins were not toasted very well so I just ate the poached eggs and spinach. That was a little disappointing. 

We grabbed smoothies at the spa and enjoyed some time in the Magic Carpet lounge that hangs over the side of the ship. 

Another Sea Day

Yesterday was another sea day.  We left the cabin earlier than the prior day.  We were at the Captain's Club breakfast by 8:15.  We each had some tea and a fruit plate.  A good assortment of melons, grapes, pineapple and berries.   Then it was off to the spa where we spent some time in the steam rooms and heated loungers until  it was time for lunch.  

Lunch was at the Ocean View Cafe (buffet). I was craving a salad so I made a delicious one with arugula, radicchio, cauliflower and zucchini. Tipped with blue cheese.  Also tried a few meatballs I'm Bolognese.   We both had some ice cream for dessert.  

Sea Day

Yesterday we slept in late.  Didn't leave our cabin until Noon.  We headed to the Eden Cafe for lunch and had arugula salads with chicken and farrow along with a roast turkey sandwich on cranberry ciabatta. Both very good!!

After that we headed to the beautiful thermal suite. We are staying in an AquaClass cabin for this cruise.  One of the perks is unlimited use of the thermal suites.  They have two different steam rooms plus a crystal room.  Also a spa shower area with four different types of mists and sprays. Very relaxing way to start the afternoon!!  

Celebrity Edge Embarkation

Yesterday was our embarkation day on the Celebrity Edge. We showed up at the terminal at Port Everglades at 11:30 and were onboard by 11:45. We stopped by our muster station to get checked in. Celebrity is still doing an "E-Muster" process where you only need to find your muster location, check in with one of the uniformed crew, they scan your sail and sign card and give you a quick recap of the safety protocols. For the first time ever, we had a quiz!!! The crew member asked us what the emergency signal was. Do you know? Answer down below. 

We then headed to our cabin on Deck 10 to drop off our luggage.

San Diego

 Yesterday we were in San Diego. Because it was the first US port since our visit to Cabo San Lucas, all passengers had to disembark and have a face to face immigration with CBP agents. We got off the ship at 9:30 and there was a line of about 100 people. The line moved quickly and we cleared by 10. Angie had seen information about a place called Sunset Cliff Natural Park, so we arranged for a Lyft (rideshare) and took a 20 minute ride out to this area. It is well described. Huge cliffs!! And you really appreciate the power of the water when you see the erosion. They have tried to create some artificial breakwater which helps a little, but the water still does what water always does. Still a fascinating place. They have a walking path and you can be more adventurous and walk down parts of the cliffs to the beach area. I think getting down would be much easier than getting back up as there wasn't a proper trail of any kind.  

It is a popular area for surfers and we saw one area where a man was on top of a cliff and jumped off!! We heard a "local" tell us the water was about 55°F (12°C), but that apparently didn't deter him. 

After we got to the end of the path, it was time to think about some lunch. Angie found a brewery in Ocean Beach so we arranged a Lyft and headed to Ocean Beach Brewing. We tried one of their sour beers (one of my favorite styles) and it was delicious!! The bartender said if we liked sour beers, to check out California Wild which was a short walk down the street. They had a really good selection of sours. And perhaps the friendliest bartender I've ever met. Plus they had some table games to play while you enjoyed their beers.  

Now it was time for some lunch. We were going to meet Katie who works with Angie at her travel agency. We'd be going to Little Italy. Katie recommended a place called Buon Appetito and it was fabulous. We had some delicious homemade meatballs baked in a spicy marina. Also some baked goat cheese that was served on pesto and had sides of caramelized onions and roasted garlic along with some small toasts. Such a great start!! I always gravitate towards lasagna at an Italian restaurant and it was the same here. Delicate thin layers of lasagna surrounding beef, pork, veggies, ricotta and some of the same marina. I still had some sauce leftover from the meatballs which I used to further enhance the dish. Angie had Orecchiette which was combined with broccoli rabe, fresh tomatoes and spicy and savory Italian sausage. Both dishes we so good!!  

We chatted for awhile and then it was time to head back to the ship. It about a 15 minute walk to the port. No Lyft needed this time. And such a great sunny day!!

Once back on the ship, we headed to Cafe Al Bacio for some tea. We both had the African Solstice tea. It is a bit spicy like chai but also has a sweetness. Just what I needed!!  

After our tea, we headed to the cabin for a mandatory rest period. We got ready for our final dinner onboard by saying hello to everyone at the Martini Bar. Then it was showtime in the main theater. Tonight was "Rock City" which was described as a show celebrating the greatest anthems in rock history. They had many rock favorites including Queen's "Radio Ga Ga", "I Want to Break Free", Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" and Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer". Some great vocal performances. I could have done without U2's "One" and the decision to have the three men sing Last Gaga's "Born this Way" was a misstep. But overall a crowd pleasing show. interesting choreography. There were a few people in the front row and they practically received a private concert from one of the singers.  

It was then time for dinner at Sushi on Five. We were having dinner with Santos!! Some wonderful dishes including our favorite Shrimp and Lobster Wontons along with a Dragon Roll. I just love the combination of the eel and hoisin sauce. Plus we had a wonderful conversation with Santos. I just love to see someone so passionate about the work he does also be rewarded and respected by the company he works for. It doesn't always happen that way.  

After our great dinner, we headed back to the World Class Bar and had another Zacapa Old Fashioned. And Yuliana also made us a rose cocktail which has pureed raspberries. So refreshing!! It as then time to head back to the cabin.   

Today we disembarked at San Pedro at 7:15. We did self assist which is where you take all your own luggage off the ship. You don't leave anything outside your cabin the night before. We jumped in a taxi and made it to LAX by 7:45. Checked our bags by 8 and are now sitting in the Delta Sky Lounge. Had some snacks and tea. We'll board at 10:30 and will land at 6:30 Tampa time. We have some doctor appointments and other stuff to take care of before we head in our next adventure.  

Sea Day

 Yesterday was a sea day.  Started with some Chai tea at Cafe Al Baccio followed by some outside time on Deck 14 Aft since the weather was beautiful!!   We headed to our Elite wine tasting at 11 which was held in the main dining room.  Very well attended with about 80 people.  The head Sommelier was there and had a very good presentation on the four wines we tried, providing the best explanation I had heard about how bacteria converts malic acid into lactic acid during the fermentation process.  This is the "butteriness" you taste in some Chardonnays.   There was a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc, a California Chardonnay, a Chilean Pinot Noir and finally a Cabernet Sauvignon. She didn't mention where it was from.   She only said that you couldn't buy it onboard which I thought was odd. Most wine tastings I've attended on a cruise ship are partly marketing to get you to experience, and hopefully order, different wines. The whites were okay. The Cabernet Sauvignon had a bit too much tart cherry for my taste.  I liked the Pinot the best of the four.   The sommelier didn't have out any of the bottles so I was not able to take pictures of them or find out the winery or vintage.  

After our wine tasting we had a complimentary slot tournament!!  Everyone who was staying in a Concierge cabin received a free entry. There was about 30 of us, split into three rounds.  The machines they used had reels that sometimes would produce a balloon or star that came on the interactive screen. You had to "pop" them within three seconds to earn up to an additional 5000 points.  Only the two top point scorers would earn a $20 casino credit. The casino host must have gotten complaints from past slot tournament entrants because he really made sure everyone knew about popping them. He would repeat these rules a few times before each round and then everyone would respond to his question: What do you do with the stars and balloons?    In unison "You pop the balloons and stars!!".  When it was our turn, the top scores were 60K and 56K.  We tried our best but didn't get the tip scores. Angie ended up with 48K and I had 42K.  Maybe we should have brought a slot glove?   :-)

After the tournament we headed to the buffet for lunch. They had some delicious roasted turkey with cranberry sauce, one of my favorites!  After lunch we spent some more time outside until we were getting a little chilly so we headed inside.  We then both got a scoop of gelato!!   I went with coffee and Angie had salted caramel.  

We headed back to the cabin and had a mandatory rest period. It was another evening chic night onboard and we'd be going to the dining room.  We went to the Martini Bar to say hello to Putra, Edi and Yogi. Then we  visited the World Class Bar where Max the solo guitarist was playing. We chatted with a couple who were on their first cruise in eighteen years and talked about how things were different.  They were fascinated by our adventurous choice of selling our house.  They were now starting to think about the places they wanted to visit so we talked about some of our favorites, including Alaska.   We've met quite a few people who were on their first cruise in many years.  

For dinner we had delicious buttery escargot, kale salads, herb crusted haddock, NY strip steak and lobster tails. All pretty tasty, even the lobster which was moist and flavorful.  After dinner we headed back to the World Class Bar where Yuliana and Shetty made us some of the cocktails from another mixology class they had earlier that day.  The Key Like Martini was my favorite. It was slightly sweet with that nice lime flavor still present. And the rim of the glass had gingery graham crackers!!  Really tasty!!  And as I had said before, Shetty is quite the artist. He is able to make some elaborate garnishes!!

Today we'll be docked in San Diego shortly.   We'll have to be processed through immigration about 9:30 and then go off for some adventures in San Diego. Well return to the ship later for our last evening onboard this ship. 

10.20.22 - 11.3.22 Celebrity Silhouette Transatlantic

 10/20/22

Today's the day!! We checked out of our Portsmouth hotel at 11 AM and caught the 11:23 AM train to Southhampton. It was only a fifty minute trip. A quick six minute taxi ride once at the station and then we arrived at our accommodations for the next two weeks. We are onboard the Celebrity Silhouette which is a transatlantic sailing to Miami. Stops in Lisbon, Madeira and Tenerife (Canary Islands) before seven sea days to "cross the pond".

We were able to have lunch in the main dining room. I started with a delicious chicken Caesar salad and had Moroccan short ribs for my main. Both really good. The short ribs had some great ginger flavor. And the couscous had raisins for some sweetness.

Now we finally get to unpack everything we have in our luggage. We haven't really had accommodations so far where we either needed to do that or even had the space. Now we do!! Also getting some laundry ready for pickup. And someone else gets to do it this time.

After spending time in eight countries over the last four weeks, it is time to settle down a bit. At least until we get to Lisbon in three days for a city tour. I've averaged 55,000 steps a week for the last four weeks. Might be time to relax for a few days.

2022 MAY Celebrity Millennium Pacific Coast Sailing

May 2, 2022  - Arrive in San Diego 

We got up early to catch our Southwest flight to San Diego. We connected through Dallas and everything went well. We took a taxi from the airport to the Intercontinental. It was a short ride. We booked Club Level rooms to have a place to all hangout and it worked well. My parents arrived about 40 minutes after us and my Aunt and her partner about an hour after that. We found a comfy couch outside the Club Lounge and enjoyed the amenities. We ordered a charcuterie plate and chips and guacamole. We had dinner at Vistol right at the resort outside overlooking the marina. Dinner was delicious. The tuna poke was outstanding. 

May 3, 2022 - Embarkation 

We had breakfast in the Club Lounge. I worked for a couple hours. We headed over to the port around 11 am. We could easily walk there. We had a 12:30 pm check in time so they did make us wait. We didn't have to wait until 12:30 pm though. We were onboard by noon. We went to the buffet for lunch. I loved the make your own pasta station. We headed to Sunset Bar, but didn't vibe with the bartender so we went down to Cellar Masters. I think that's going to be our bar. We took a break to see if our luggage arrived. We went back to Cellar Masters to listen to the guitar player and the violin duo. Dinner was in the main restaurant: Metropolitan. I had the carrot salad, mushroom soup, and salmon. I think the highlight was the beet salad my Dad ordered. He also had really good ravioli. Glenn's spaghetti was a little salty. I was exhausted so we headed to bed early. 

May 4, 2022 Santa Barbara 

We were up bright and early to get the first water shuttle to shore. I woke up to see the sunrise. 

We were on Shuttle #1. We booked a wine tour with Surf's Up Limo. I did not tell my family anything about the tour so I loved their reaction when they saw the Surf Limo. Jeff was a terrific guide and picked a wonderful itinerary. 

We drove about an hour out into Santa Inez Valley to McKinney Winery. It's a small boutique winery started by Matt McKinney. He planted wines in his parents' backyard. It's only open for private tastings. We met with Justice. He's worked with Matt for about 4 years. They do everything at the vineyard - all the planting, grooming, aging, bottling, and managing the sales and wine club. The wine was incredible. Favorites were the Rose of Sangiovese, Pinot Noir and Blood of Jove Sangiovese. Justice spent about two hours with us.

 We headed to a local olive oil grove to taste some olive oil. The owners have 800 acres of olive trees. It takes the owner 2 1/2 months to prune them each year. Jeff picked up lunch for us.  We found a great picnic table along a beautiful winery for lunch. We were all delighted when Jeff pulled out a table cloth and place mats. We also visited Brick Barn vineyard. This is a much larger winery geared toward sessionable bright and accessible wines. We enjoyed the comfy patio furniture. My favorite was the Viognier. We headed back to the ship. Just a wonderful tour. We all took a little rest and then headed to Cellar Masters to hear Sean play the guitar. Dinner was delicious. I loved the Grilled Sirloin Steak. The rigatoni was delicious. 

May 5, 2022 - Catalina Island 

We had an easy morning. We went to Elite breakfast Tuscan Grill. We set up camp Cafe al Bacio where Jenny kept us caffeinated. We met up with everyone else around 11 am to take the water shuttles over to land. We had a great lunch on the water at Bluewater Avalaon. We did a little souvenir shopping. We hit up the local dive bar - the Blue Marlin -  and then went to a nano brewery that was also a bakery. Very fun. We headed back to the ship for a nice evening with dinner. 

May 6, 2022  - Sea Day 

The morning started with a very boring lecture that put all six of us to sleep. The weather wasn't great so we played a little bean bag toss. The evening was fun. We went to The Company Men show and had a great time. Then, Glenn sang some live band karaoke. 

May 7, 2022  - San Francisco 

We were excited for today. We booked a wine tour to Hook and Ladder. It was terrific. My Dad was so excited to see Hook and Ladder. We met the wine club representative Glenn and my Dad always email and it was like meeting a rockstar. We got a behind the scenes tour and to try so many great wines. 

The next stop was Martinelli where we had a stand up wine tasting. We had lunch at Russian River Brewing's new pub location. Then, a very overpriced food and wine tasting at Flowers Vineyard. Overall, the weather was gorgeous and it was a terrific day. 

May 8, 2022 San Francisco 

This morning we took the Hop On Hop Off bus around the city. It started to rain just as we were going over the Golden Gate bridge so that was quite the adventure. 

Glenn and I decided to skip the included coastal cruise to go to the baseball game. It was so fun to check another ballpark off the list. We had standing room tickets, but found a great set of bar stools facing the field to watch the first four innings.

 It was really hard getting an Uber so we walked along the waterfront back to the ship. 

May 9, 2022 Sea Day 

Another rainy, lazy sea day. We actually sat at the bar outside for a while. 

May 10, 2022 Astoria, Oregon 

We had a cruise ship excursion along the coast. The scenery was great. We visited the Tillamook Air Museum and Cheese Factory. Plus a stop at the beach where part of the Goonies was filmed. 

We also finally stopped at the Martini Bar. We were laughing so hard when the bartended did a "sexy" dance with the bottle when he made a dirty martini. 

May 11, 2022 Seattle, Washington 

We took a cruise ship excursion and it was not good. The driver had no idea what he was doing. He drove us in a circle with no information. Then, we boarded coastal cruise that was actually great. We sailed along the skyline and then through a lock to Lake Union. The narration was terrific and we really enjoyed it. 

The next stop was the Space Needle so we decided to bail on the tour. Glenn and I went to the Chulily Glass Museum and the Outdoor Sculpture Garden while my parents, Aunt and Fred went back to the martini bar. 

May 12, 2022 Victoria, BC

My parents, Aunt, and Fred took a tour. Glenn and I decided to stay on the ship. We were originally going to explore Victoria, but my work took until noon so we decided to stay onboard. We went to the production show that night. 

May 13, 2022 Vancouver 

We did self assist disembarkation. We walked across the street to the Fairmont Waterfront to check in. Then, we had to walk down to the Fairmont Vancouver to get COVID tested. We stopped at a nice bakery for coffees and breakfast. Testing was seamless. We all tested negative so we headed back to the Fairmont since our rooms were ready. We had lunch at Cactus Cafe in the Harbor. It was delicious.

After lunch, Aunt and Fred headed out to explore. The four of us went back to the hotel. I worked for a few hours. We had dinner in the Club Lounge and went to bed early. 

May 14, 2022 

My Aunt and Fred flew out early in the morning. We had a leisurely morning with breakfast in the Club Level and then headed across the street to check in for the Holland America Koningdsam Alaska cruise. 

September 2021: Second Apex Cruise

 9/18/21 First Cruise Ends / Second Cruise Begins 

This morning we got up and packed so we could change cabins. The process was very easy. We just went down to security. They took our old cards and gave us new cards. We hung out in the Solarium waiting for lunch and our cabin to be ready.

We had the place to ourselves. We went to lunch at Le Grande Bistro. I had the burger and it was delicious. 

After lunch, we checked in at our muster station and then went down to the cabin to unpack. Then we headed to the Martini Bar for some live music. It was so different with so many people. This cruise people are definitely ready for fun. We stopped by Eden to see the bartenders. Then we went to Tuscan for dinner. It as very good. After dinner, we caught the end of the Rockumentary show. It was good. We played a game in The Club. It's much harder to win when we aren't the only contestants. We listened to the band and went to bed early. 

September 2021: First Celebrity Apex Cruise

 We were pleasantly surprised to see Demetrius - our driver from Thursday - waiting for us in the lobby to drive us to the port. 

The drive was only 35 minutes. We handed over our luggage and proceeded through vaccine card check, COVID testing, metal detector, and a stop at Greek immigration. It's the first time we've had to appear before a foreign immigration official to board a cruise. I think he was checking that we entered Greece legally. 

Then, we walked to the ship and boarded. It took about an hour and 45 minutes because there was only one immigration officer and he disappeared for a while. 

On board, we went straight to Raw on 5 - our embarkation day tradition. It was closed. :( So we headed to the buffet and what a delight it was. So many incredible options. What a happy accident. Jorge was greeting everyone with "Welcome aboard! This is the best day of my life." We had a great meal.  Then, we headed down to the cabin. Our luggage was there so we unpacked. 

Off to Eden to see if Santos was there. 

2020 January Celebrity Summit Southern Caribbean

 One of my favorite cruises is the Southern Caribbean itinerary on the Celebrity Summit so it's the perfect way to start the year. We flew to San Juan and spent the night at the Caribe Hilton. 

We had a little trouble finding a good spot for dinner. A lot of the restaurants were closed. Earthquakes were happening on the other side of the island. We felt a slight tremor the evening before the cruise. We ended up at a food court that was not excellent. Things improved greatly once we boarded the cruise. 

We decided to change things up and we booked an ocean view cabin instead of a balcony. We ended up loving it because it was one deck up from where we'd exit and enter on port days. It made everything so easy. We love starting a Celebrity cruise with lunch at the sushi restaurant. 

Sailaway from San Juan is always gorgeous. We watched a lot of sail-aways on the cruise from Captain's Club happy hour in the Reflection Lounge. 

One of my favorite onboard activities is the Silent Disco. 

The reason I love this itinerary so much is that you wake up each morning on a different island. Our first port of call was St Thomas. We decided to stay on the ship because we'd just been there in December on the Encore. Our second stop was Antigua. I used the opportunity to tour the Royalton Antigua - a great family all inclusive resort. 

Our next port of call was Martinique. I've never been to Martinique so we took an island tour through the cruise line. We visited a rum distillery, a history prison that was almost wiped out by a volcanic eruption, and then took a boat ride back along the coast. 

In St Lucia, we had a lovely day at BodyHoliday. We filmed a resort tour, had lunch, and they even treated us to a massage. 

In Barbados, we toured Turtle Beach and Sandals Barbados and Royal Barbados. It was a nightmare trying to get a cab there. Next time, I'll line up a private transfer like I did at the other ports. 

In Grenada, we decided to stay on the ship. We've been there a couple times. We just enjoyed the view. 

My first visit to St Vincent. It's a developing port of call with great outdoor hiking excursions. We ended up just walking around the downtown and enjoying a couple beers. 

In St Marten,  we filmed a resort tour of the new Secrets  St Marten. 

This cruise, we ate most of our meals at the buffet so we could sit outside each evening either watching sailaway or enjoying the guitar player that played each evening. We spent a lot of our time onboard at the pool bar - so much fun. 

12.30.18 Celebrity Equinox

We sailed away on the Celebrity Equinox for a New Year's Eve Caribbean cruise. I was so excited to find our favorite bartender from our last Equinox cruise - Santos - onboard. I think I may have scared him a bit with my enthusiasm. It was funny on this cruise that we loved the opposite of what we liked last time: dining at Blu and the entertainment. 

The biggest highlight was the ATV excursion in Costa Maya. It was super muddy and intense. I found it harder than I imagined, but I am really glad I did it. We also visited the Fiesta Americana resort in Cozumel. 

Celebrity Summit Cruise

We went on a 7 night Southern Caribbean cruise with our good friend Tom and Margaret and my parents. It was a blast!! 

Here's Glenn's review of the cruise overall. 
Stayed in Sky Suite 6100. Great location. First time in this class cabin and enjoyed the extra space and amazing closet!! Food and beverages were overall very good. Beverage quality varied a lot from bar to bar for the same drinks which was disappointing. Food was very good in QSine and excellent in Normandie. They were offering unlimited free speciality dining for suites since Luminae was under construction. MDR had best food quality of any of my three Summit cruises. Ate in Bistro on Five three times and had good service and food all three times. They have the new menu at lunch hours with daily specials and many more entrees. 

The entertainment needs some work. There wasn't any Beyond The Podium talks as there had been on the past two Summit cruises. The cruise director was Ken Mills and there seemed to be some running joke that was only known amongst the cruise activity staff and not shared with the guests. Kind of an uneven schedule of events. The 70's party and the ice party were fun. Karaoke had several "ringers" who were singers in their own bands which didn't make it enjoyable for me. Lots of trivia (three times a day). Michele Balan was the comedienne and she was excellent. Had both PG and adult shows. iMagic show was very interesting. Didn't go to others since I had seen them before. 

The night before we stayed at Chateau Cervantes. My parents were upgraded to the huge Presidential Suite! We had a lot of laughs calling my dad Mr. President during the week. 

We spent the afternoon exploring San Juan. We enjoyed a great happy hour and then had dinner at a fun restaurant with a Tango show. 

Chateau Cervantes, San Juan, Puerto Rico

 We had a great time on the cruise. In St. Kitts, we took the rail and sail. It poured down rain during the rail, but thankfully it cleared up in time for our sail. 

I was able to arrange a visit to the bridge. 

We had fun with all the activities on board. 

Dad made friends with the casino staff. 

Another great cruise!